Saturday, June 18, 2016

It's been a long time since I, or anyone else for that matter, has written an article on this blog. However, I had made a promise to myself back when the blog was started in 2004 that I would write an article next time Cleveland was in a championship-clinching scenario. So, without further ado, here we go:

With Sunday 6/19 becoming a possible Championship day for Cleveland sports fans, most Cleveland sports fans have emotions of dread and superstitution. This is what happens after 52 years of sports seasons coming and going with neither the Browns, Cavs, or Indians being able to bring home a championship. 52 years is such a long time in fact, that the majority of Cleveland sports fans have never themselves even witnessed a championship. Even if one has fathers/mothers, grandfathers/grandmothers, who did witness the last championship of the 1964 Cleveland Browns season, most of them have also grown jaded after Red Right 88, The Drive, The Fumble, The Shot, The 1997 Indians losing Game 7 in extra innings after having a lead, The 2002 Cleveland Browns blowing a 17-point lead in a playofff game, the 2009 and 2010 Lebron-led Cavs losing in early rounds despite having the best record. Some of you are probably just amazed the Browns even made the playoffs once in the 2000s, but yes, it really did happen.

Some have even gone so far as to say the whole city is cursed. Many of these same people will be performing all sorts of superstitutions, during Game 7 to bring home a championship. Though they can rationally tell you that Lebron
James and Coach Ty Lue don't have secret cameras watching them, they each believe that acting out superstitions such as the following will indeed impact the game:

1) Growing a playoff beard
2) Wearing the same underwear from Games 5 and 6 still
3) Sacrificing a chicken like Pedro Cerrano in Major League
4) dropping pizza on the floor, eating it, then cleaning it up, because last time that spurred a 10 point cavs run
5) encouraging their dog to sit on guests in the hopes the dog farts on a person, because last time the dog farted on a person, Dahntay Jones drew 2 fouls from Draymond Green
6) Saying the same random sentence they said when Lebron hit his previous 3
7) Telling their significant other to not talk to them during the game, because that's why the Cavs won
8) Telling their significant other to talk to them throughout the game, because that's why the Cavs won
9) Eating the same meal they ate before the Cavs wins of Games 5 and 6
10) Muttering words underneath their breath every time Golden State shoots the ball, thinking they are like wizards casting spells in Harry Potter affecting the outcome of a quidditch match

However, despite all the superstitions that fans have been practicing, it has been shown by fivethirtyeight.com that in the early 20th century through the 1960s, the city of Cleveland won more than its fair share of championships, proving that God Doesn't Hate Cleveland, it's just in the middle of a dry spell.

With this kind of rational perspective, that there is no curse, it allows you to forget about the dread and the superstitution, and instead focus on why we watch in the first place. The Cleveland Cavaliers are only 48 minutes from a championship. Are they playing a team with the best record in NBA History on the road? Yes. But we should still try to enjoy every moment of the game without worrying about the stench of our six-day old underwear, or having to throw a friend out of a watch-party for saying the wrong words at the same time that the Warriors hit a 3-pointer. What we each do individually won't affect how the balls bounce or the final score.

The long journey by the city between championships has actually caused the fans to appreciate each winning season even more. Everyone wants to believe that this Cavs team could be the team to end the championship drought, which is a thought that just makes me giddy. Game 7 will be exciting, so I hope that all the Cleveland sports fans can watch with the hope and belief that somehow, the Cavs will find a way to bring home what would be an incredible championship.

If you're a Cleveland sports fan, it's time to believe... believe in Lebron, Kyrie, Tristan, JR, K-Love, RJ, Shumpert, Mo, Delly, Dahntay, Frye, Mozgov, James Jones, Sasha Kaun, and even Jordan McRae! For some of you, it may be time to believe more in your lucky t-shirt for Game 7 and have a luck-changing shirt for the 2nd half on hand just in case, but that's okay too. Go cavs!